It’s finally happening: Spring training is underway, with games galore to follow along — and plenty of information to sift through for fantasy managers preparing for draft season. There’s a lot to get to, as teams build their rosters, map out roles and manage injuries. Here are the storylines that are worth paying particular attention to in the weeks ahead. (And here’s our broader look at how to separate the signal from the noise this time of year.)
Overseas Arrivals
This offseason saw more marquee free agents from overseas than any other in recent memory, and now is our first and only chance to see them in action in a big-league uniform before having to decide whether they’re worth a draft pick. A few notable names:
- To start with the obvious: Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the headliner here after the Dodgers decided to make him the richest pitcher in baseball history. The 25-year-old righty wasted little time making that look like a sound decision in his spring debut, but while his stuff is electric, question marks still remain — how will he adjust to an every-fifth-day schedule, and at 5’10, how will he hold up over the course of a long season?
- The other notable starter from Japan is Shota Imanaga, who came to the Cubs on a four-year deal back in January. The 30-year-old lefty doesn’t light up the radar gun like Yamamoto, but he does have a deep and balanced arsenal, anchored by a low 90s fastball that plays up thanks to elite ride when he elevates it. His last few years in Japan were excellent, and if he can get his home-run problem under control — that’s the problem with living on elevated fastballs — he could be a steal, because the full compliment of breaking stuff is impressive. He’s a bit diminutive, and it remains unclear how exactly his game will translate, but Chicago’s thin rotation gives them no reason not to give him a very long leash.
- Speaking of undersized hurlers: Yuki Matsui came to the Padres after racking up 236 saves during a decade in Japan, then turned a ton of heads with his first spring outing. He’s just 5-foot-8, but the stuff is wild (12 K/9 rate overseas) and includes a lot of funk that big-league batters just aren’t used to seeing. San Diego’s bullpen is wide-open, and there’s still enough in the lineup and rotation to make the closer’s role a desirable one for fantasy purposes. (More on other ninth-inning battles in just a bit.)
- On the position player side, there’s really just one notable name: Jung Hoo Lee, who will bring his terrific contact skills from the KBO to San Francisco as the Giants’ everyday center fielder. Lee’s defensive prowess and athleticism aren’t up for debate, but whether the 25-year-old has enough pop in his bat to avoid getting overwhelmed by Major League pitching is still an open question. If he does, though, he could be a nice source of runs and batting average atop San Francisco’s lineup.
Premium Prospects
With the amount of jaw-dropping young talent in the game these days — and a new CBA that incentivizes teams to get them to the Majors as soon as possible — prospects are becoming increasingly viable mid-round draft picks. And this spring is no exception.
Start with No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Holliday, who’s still just 20 and has barely had a cup of coffee in the high Minors but is still the odds-on favorite to win the Orioles starting shortstop job on Opening Day. Holliday is more floor than ceiling for fantasy, though — think 15 homers and 20 steals with a solid average; for a bit more upside, look no further than the similarly precocious Jackson Chourio, who has a clearer path to a starting spot in the Brewers outfield after signing a historic extension over the winter and offers a tantalizing power/speed combo. Tigers infielder Colt Keith also signed a deal that’s seemingly pegged him as an everyday player in Detroit, and a .300 hitter in the Minors who hit 27 homers in 126 games last year is nothing to sneeze at. Lastly, top-five prospect Wyatt Langford appears to have the inside track on some sort of starting job with the loaded Texas Rangers — whether that comes in the outfield or (more likely) at DH. Given Evan Carter’s pesky platoon issues, and Texas’ commitment to getting Langford in the lineup, the former Florida Gator could be the more valuable fantasy commodity right away.
If drafting today, I would rank the prospects in this order: Chourio, Langford, Carter, Holliday, Keith.
Back on the Radar
Spring also gives us our first look at players we missed last season due to injury.
- With a strong spring, Edwin Diaz could reestablish himself as the No. 1 closer off the board. The last time we saw him healthy, he was putting up historic numbers, but is he fully recovered from rupturing his patella tendon in the World Baseball Classic?
- Gavin Lux appeared to finally have a chance to break out before missing all of 2023 with a torn ACL. The 26-year-old has yet to make good on his prospect hype, but the Dodgers appear ready to hand him the reins at shortstop, and he brings plate skills and speed to the table in a strong offense.
- Rhys Hoskins’ dream of a dramatic World Series return was dashed, and now the first baseman is off to Milwaukee, where he could take advantage of a very friendly home park to hit 30 or so homers at a relatively cheap price in drafts.
- Shane Baz and Aaron Ashby are two young starters with plenty of upside who missed all of last season due to injury. Baz may not start the season in the Majors but should be stashed in many leagues — he’s looked awfully good in limited MLB time with the Rays so far — while Ashby is someone to monitor in case he can win a rotation spot in Milwaukee.
Position Battles
— The Reds have more options than spots in their infield, and most of the competitors were notable prospects in recent years. Jeimer Candelario is the old man of the group, but he is expected to play regularly after signing with Cincinnati in the offseason. The club also needs to give Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain regular roles given their defensive value up the middle, which leaves DH and 3B for Noelvi Marte, Jonathan India and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. The most logical solution is to either trade India or give Marte more time in Triple-A.
— Brett Baty is the favorite for the Mets’ third base job, but he has plenty to prove after recording a .598 OPS in 108 games last season. Fellow prospect Mark Vientos is the same age as Baty and struggled to a similar degree in 2023. But Vientos has plenty of pop and Baty is a well-rounded hitter, which means that the winner of this battle will be a late-round draft option.
— The Blue Jays lack a clear answer at the hot corner and second base, with Cavan Biggio, Davis Schneider and Isiah Kiner-Falefa ranking as the leading candidates. Kiner-Falefa could be a factor in deep mixed leagues by stealing 20 bases in a full-time role, while Schneider is the name to monitor among the group. The fan favorite was all over the map in his late-season audition, posting a 1.420 OPS in August and a .673 mark in September.
— Carlos Estévez collected 31 saves last year but also posted an unsightly 1.49 WHIP and logged a 6.59 ERA after the All-Star break. He will face stiff competition this spring from free-agent addition Robert Stephenson, who was undoubtedly the better pitcher last year in Tampa (3.10 ERA, 0.88 WHIP).
— The Nationals are another team with a closer conundrum, as both Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey would like to lay claim to the role. As is the situation with the Angels, the Nats have one man who had plenty of saves last year (Finnegan, 28) and another who produced better results (Harvey, 2.82 ERA, 0.94 WHIP).
